Section 1
In the countryside during a beautiful summer, the weather was nice and warm. The fields were filled with golden corn, green oats, and tall haystacks, making everything look incredibly pretty. There was a stork walking around on its long red legs, and it made chattering sounds in a language called Egyptian, which it had learned from its mother. There were big forests all around the cornfields and meadows, and inside the forests, there were deep pools of water. It was really fun and enjoyable to take a walk in the countryside. In a sunny area, there was a nice old farmhouse situated near a deep river. Right from the house, there were huge burdock leaves growing all the way down to the water’s edge. The leaves were so tall that even a little child could stand up straight under the tallest one. The place was as untamed and wild as the middle of a dense forest. In this cozy hiding spot, a duck was sitting on her nest, patiently waiting for her baby ducklings to hatch. She was starting to feel a bit weary because it was taking a long time for the little ones to come out of their eggs, and she hardly had any visitors to keep her company.
The rest of the ducks preferred swimming in the river instead of climbing the slippery banks and sitting with the duck under the burdock leaf to chat. But finally, after a while, one of the eggshells cracked, and then another, and out of each egg emerged a tiny creature that raised its head and said, “Peep, peep!” “Quack, quack,” said the mother, and then all the little ducklings quacked as best they could and looked around at the big, green leaves. Their mother let them look as long as they wanted because green was good for their eyes. “Wow, the world is so big!” exclaimed the young ducks, realizing they had much more space now than when they were inside their eggshells. “Do you think this is all there is to the world?” the mother asked. “Just wait until you see the garden; it goes on even further, all the way to the people’s field. But I’ve never gone that far myself. Are all of you out of your eggs?” she asked, getting up. “Oh no, look! The biggest egg is still there. I wonder how much longer this will take. I’m getting really tired of waiting,” she said and settled back down on her nest.
“Well, how are things going?” inquired an elderly duck who came to visit.
“One egg hasn’t hatched yet,” said the duck, “it just won’t crack. But take a look at all the other ducklings! Aren’t they the most adorable little ducklings you’ve ever seen? They look exactly like their father, who is quite mean and never bothers to visit.”
“Show me the egg that won’t crack,” said the duck. “I’m certain it’s a turkey’s egg. I once tried to hatch some turkey eggs, and despite all my care and effort with the little ones, they were scared of the water. I quacked and clucked, but they wouldn’t even give it a try. Let me have a look at the egg. Yes, it’s definitely a turkey’s egg. Trust me, leave it where it is and teach the other ducklings how to swim instead.”
“I think I’ll keep sitting on it a little while longer,” said the duck. “Since I’ve already been sitting for so long, a few more days won’t make much difference.”
“Do what makes you happy,” said the old duck, and she went off.
Finally, the big egg cracked, and a little creature came out of it, crying, “Peep, peep.” It was much bigger, but not as cute as the other ducklings. The duck looked at it with surprise and said, “It's really big and doesn’t look like the others at all. I’m curious if it’s actually a turkey. We’ll soon find out when we go to the water. It has to go in, even if I have to push it myself.”
The following day had fantastic weather, and the sun was shining brightly on the green burdock leaves. So, the mother duck decided to bring her little ducklings to the water and jumped in with a big splash. “Quack, quack!” she exclaimed, and one by one, the little ducklings followed her and jumped into the water. The water covered their heads for a moment, but they quickly popped up again and started swimming beautifully. They paddled their legs under the water effortlessly, and even the ugly duckling joined them and swam along happily.
“Oh,” exclaimed the mother, “that’s not a turkey! Look how skillfully he uses his legs and how proudly he holds himself! He’s my own child, and if you really look at him, he’s not that ugly at all. Quack, quack! Now come with me, I’ll bring you into the fancy company and introduce you to the farmyard. But stay close to me, or you might get stepped on. And most importantly, be careful of the cat!”
